Was Friday’s Ransomware Attack Covered in Your Cyber Plan?

Less than a month ago, my colleague Adam Brand talked about the need to include ransomware in the cybersecurity repertoire of companies, emphasizing a business outcome-driven approach to cybersecurity, rather than a narrow-focused sensitive data perspective. Last Friday’s global ransomware attack brought this message home with a bang.

The wide-spread attack struck hospitals, companies and government offices around the world, with the majority of the attacks targeting Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan. It disrupted computers that support factories, banks and transport systems. The National Health Service in the United Kingdom was attacked, causing some surgical procedures to be cancelled and ambulances to be diverted. In addition, several major global companies reported they were hit by the attack, which currently is believed to have infected more than 200,000 computers globally, with some claiming the number is closer to 300,000.

The event is not unique but it is the biggest of its kind so far, and reinforces a harsh reality: Cyber attacks are not just about data loss or intrusions on privacy, but they can impact organizational operations, patient care (for healthcare providers) and critical infrastructure, and cause possible loss of life. Systems that support critical operations – such as medical devices and industrial control systems – often run on older technology that is more vulnerable to these attacks. You may have ignored these systems up till now because they do not contain critical data – ignore them no more.

In the wake of this latest attack, Protiviti issued a Flash Report today that summarizes the circumstances and reiterates the point we’ve made often before – namely, that cybersecurity needs to be extracted from the silo of IT security operations and considered in the context of the risk it poses to the business. The Flash Report also provides some immediate and longer-term recommendations for companies to shield themselves from future events like this one. Download the report here, and share your thoughts in the comments.